SideQuestPubs

#selfcare #rant #venting 

I would've created a poll for this just to see how some of the options rank, but I don't currently have a core membership (and can't be bovvered to get another one just for this) and I'm not sure I want to put it on my writerly FaceBook page.

But here is the question: What would you say are some of the biggest lies of our time.... albeit without bringing politics into the equation? (So leave your MAGA and similar ideologies at the door.) And why do you think it's a lie?

Me, I think there are a few specific lies that need to be on that list.
"The check's in the mail" seems to be a famous one. (Though sometimes the check really is in the mail.)
"The customer is always right." (As any retail employee knows... especially when that customer decides to be abusive.)
"It was just a joke."

That last may one need a bit of elaboration.
I will grant you, it is possible for "it was just a joke" (or more accurately, "it was meant as a joke") to serve as an explanation.... or part of one. If it is acknowledging the disconnect between how the joke was intended and how it was received, and if the teller of the joke is willing to take responsibility for what they'd said. Personally, I don't know whether this is my autism or me in general, but I find it hard to apologize without acknowledging that disconnect, which naturally requires acknowledging my intent; the apology just doesn't feel sincere otherwise. (My biggest failing in that regard is that my apologies don't always include the words "I'm sorry," so there's another disconnect for me to work on.)
I've made jokes that I didn't realize until hours later probably didn't sound the way I intended, and yes I will mention the fact that I have a weird sense of humor when I attempt to apologize for them. (Yes, #JohnBarrowman, I'm still calling it weird! )
But all of that requires the teller of the joke to own up to the fact that they said something that might have been offensive. To accept that they contributed, however unintentionally, to the insult that occurred. Even if they don't come right out and apologize, even though they have no control over how the recipient interpreted those words, the teller of the joke needs to be willing to take responsibility for the fact that they themselves said those words.

If, on the other hand, the phrase "it was just a joke" is accompanied by anger towards the recipient, by phrases like "get over it" or "get a sense of humor"....
If the joke-teller is so bad at reading their audience that they immediately assume upset on the recipient's part the very instant the recipient replies, even though the recipient was merely addressing the logical side of the joke (or gods forbid, joking back)....
Or worse, if the recipient is genuinely upset by that type of joke every single time it is told (case in point, one clearly at the recipient's expense, such as a "threat" to sabotage one of the recipient's sources of income in the name of maintaining control over the recipient's theoretical free time) and the joke-teller continues to tell jokes of that type.....
If the teller of jokes is upset when they themselves are on the receiving end of jokes of that sort, yet they continue to make the same kinds of jokes about other people....
Well, there is a reason the joke-teller assumed offense on the recipient's part, and the recipient is not to blame for that assumption. (No, not even if the recipient has a sense of humor so dry that they sound serious even when at their silliest.) And it was most definitely not "just a joke."


And the reason I'm not (yet) inclined towards posting this on FaceBook...?
Well, for one thing it has no place on the writerly page unless I can find a plot bunny in it.
For another, if I post it on my personal profile, past experience tells me that the parties who inspired this particular rant will see it and a) ignore it as they are clearly incapable of being in the wrong and therefore I couldn't possibly be talking about them or b) accuse me of "airing their dirty laundry" (never mind that they made it mine to clean up however I can the moment they flung that metaphorical laundry in my face) without me ever once mentioning who and what inspired the piece to begin with. Trying to talk with them in person, unfortunately, tends to lead to some combination of these two results.

Okay, I really need to pay more attention to my emails. Because, looking at the relevant dates, I'm quite certain I would've received this notification before.
In fact, anyone out there following IndieBox probably already knows this about the game.

*ahem*

Just yesterday I received an email newsletter from IndieBox citing a variety of game announcements, including one very particular one: Assassin's Creed Black Flag is available for free.
Catch is, the giveaway is only from December 11 (which is why I think I should've paid closer attention to previous emails) to Dec 18. And it has to be downloaded from Ubisoft and their UPlay app, so no Steam version here. (Depending on how the app works, Steam users who are, like me, leaning enough towards the OCD side should certainly be able to set it to play through Steam--it's a matter of creating a shortcut within the launcher--but no Steam achievements and cards and the like will be had here.)

The link can be found here: www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/event/ha…
(Dang, that's a long link! )

Goldenwolf's Wuffies Plushie campaign is going strong, but it still hasn't met the goal yet.

76% funded and barely more than a week to go.

Join in and get yourself some adorable wuffies!

www.indiegogo.com/projects/wuf…

Wuffies Plush! ONE WEEK LEFT!OMG you guys! We are now 75% funded but there are only SEVEN DAYS LEFT to reach our goal! That's one week only! We can do it though, I know it! https://igg.me/at/wuffieplush/x

Copied from my WordPress post sidequestpublications.wordpres… Formerly titled "The Trouble with Christmas Shopping"

sigh

November’s barely started, and Christmas shopping this year is already off to a lousy start.

See, some of my shopping is done online, for a variety of reasons. Case in point, an eBay purchase of some very hard-to-find, older-than-me, and very breakable objects.

They were mint when they arrived–I spent a long time finding ones that were before making the purchase–but….
A certain snoop decided the best way to find out what was inside the box was to shake it.

And they are mint no longer.
Three out of four of the pieces have very obvious chips in them, despite the packing job.
(Seriously, they stood up to traveling several states in the mail but they’re damaged because some asshole deliberately shakes the box? Unreal.)

Never mind that the box in question is in my room.
Never mind that I was in my room at the time and he could’ve just asked me.
Never mind that Christmas is coming and it’s none of his damn business what I just bought.
Nope, he shook the box as a joke. Apparently breaking the stuff I paid for is “funny.”

Ironically, I bought one of the items–they came as a set–precisely to replace one that I’d accidentally broken earlier. Thus the necessity of finding mint condition.
Unfortunately that is one of the ones that was chipped during the shaking…..

Okay, so a little over a month ago I had a problem with my computer. Namely, when I tried to start it up I got an error message saying "no boot device available."
Courtesy of having another computer to work from, I researched the message, but every fix I found involved reinstalling/repairing Windows... which required getting the computer to RECOGNIZE a boot device. But it refused, time and time again.

So, given that the computer is under warranty (and still is until 2019), I got in touch with the manufacturer, was able to talk with someone in the span of a day or two to get it fixed, and it was sent in for repairs.

But when I got it BACK.... I got the yellow flashing lights of death. I had it for about a weekend (work schedule ) before I had the opportunity to talk to someone so they could fix whatever was still wrong with it.
Except it took almost TWO WEEKS to get in touch with someone. Every single time I said I was available during a certain window of time, someone called me FOUR HOURS LATER when I was no longer available--once when I was driving and once when I had already started my work shift for the day. And then they had the gall to archive the issue because I didn't answer the phone when they called.

Okay, finally got it sent out again, and just got it back on Thursday.
It seemed to be working fine, and I got my files etc set back up where I wanted them, but due to my work schedule I wasn't able to spend time making sure any changes I'd made were backed up.
And this morning, when I had a new keyboard/mouse setup that will allow me to leave the higher-speed USB 3.0 ports in the back available for my external hard drive so I CAN make regular backups.... the computer refused to power on. No flashing lights, nothing. I can't even get on it to make sure any changes I'd made to my files over the weekend are backed up.



Get that? The computer's under warranty, but despite the motherboard being replaced TWICE I have gone over a month without the computer working.